


The Characteristics of Beauty

by StrawberryBubbles



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-05
Updated: 2013-08-05
Packaged: 2017-12-22 12:26:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/913204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryBubbles/pseuds/StrawberryBubbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Grantaire doesn't want to go to the beach because he is too self-conscious, Enjolras explains why he thinks Grantaire is beautiful. Basically based off Amy Pond's speech in Doctor Who (in The Girl Who Waited) about how Rory is the most beautiful man she has ever met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Characteristics of Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> This is the speech of Amy's if any one is interested; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnnWUoLcmns  
> but um, this is not nearly as good as Amy's.  
> Also sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical errors or anything.

Summer was never a happy time for Grantaire. Summer was a time when people went to the beach and walked around shirtless and played rugby in shorts. Summer was a time when he had to either put on sunscreen and break out because of all the oil or get sunburnt and have every one of his acne scars stand out stark against the red.

Summer was Grantaires least favourite season. Unfortunately it appeared to be Enjolras’ favourite. In the past that had never mattered. Sure; he had occasionally been tempted to go to the beach to moon over Enjolras in nothing but swimming trunks, but no one had ever insisted that he go to the beach with them. Most people were content with the fact he wasn’t a beach person, and knew they couldn’t make him go, and Éponine who was the only one, besides Enjolras, who had the power to make him go places he didn’t want to understood why he hated the beach. 

But now that he was dating Enjolras, things were different. Enjolras, one of the two people who could get him places he didn’t particularly want to go actually wanted him to go to the beach this summer.

So far Grantaire had been able to worm his way out of every trip to the beach Enjolras and their friends had planned; saying he had a piece of commissioned art he needed to finish, that last minute he had to pick up a shift at the coffee shop, or he had to visit his parents. Anything so he wouldn’t have to go to the beach.

Of course he realised it was too good to last, it was several weeks into the good weather when this realisation was confirmed. He finally had a day off work and had convinced Enjolras to stay at home rather than go to the beach, mostly because none of their friends were going and it meant they could lounge around eating home-made popsicles and drinking lemonade.

That was of course until Éponine barged in wearing nothing but a bikini top and shorts.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry” she said as she pushed open the door they had left half open to let some cool air in. “Cossette, Courfeyrac and I are going to the beach, but of course I am useless and left my tanning oil here, and just give me two seconds R and I will get it and I will leave and be out of your hair.”

She flashed Grantaire a bright smile and disappeared into his bathroom to get her oil as Grantaire sat on the couch in disbelief that what he had hoped was going to be a perfect day looked to be ruined.

Enjolras turned to him with a big smile on his face.

“We can finally make it to the beach Grantaire” He said excitement clearly shown in the very way he held his body.

“I don’t know Enjolras, I was looking forward to spending the day at home together, just you and me.” Grantaire said running his hand over Enjolras’ knee, willing him to understand that he really didn't want to go to the beach.

“Yes, but we can go and stay with them for a bit and then go find a nice secluded area to be alone.” He said leaning in close and kissing his cheek. “It will be so much fun R.” as he said that Éponine came out of the bathroom holding her tanning oil.

“Thanks guys, you are brilliant.” She said on her way out of the apartment only stopping to lean down and kiss Grantaire on the head in thanks.

When she got to the door Enjolras called out.

“Wait Éponine.”

She paused half in half out of the door way.

“Yeah?”

“Grantaire and I are going to come with you, can you guys wait for us to get our stuff together? It will take like ten minutes.” He said, heading towards their bedroom stopping in the door way waiting for her response.

She looked at him and then back at Grantaire, hesitation in her eyes.

“Yeah I guess,” she said slowly, “if that is what you guys want.”

“Of course that is what we want.” Enjolras said cheerily ducking into the bedroom. “This is going to be so much fun.” They heard him say, more to himself than anyone else.

Éponine was still looking at Grantaire with hesitation and he was quite decidedly looking everywhere but at her.

She sighed and followed Enjolras into the bedroom where he was happily packing everything they would need for a day at the beach.

“Enjolras,” she started, sitting cautiously on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah?” He asked, not noticing her tone.

“I don’t think you guys should come with us.”

He stopped his packing immediately looking at her incredulously.

“Why not?” He asked.

She took a deep breath running her fingers through her hair. 

“Grantaire doesn’t like the beach.” She said simply.

“What do you mean Grantaire doesn’t like the beach? Everyone likes the beach.” 

Another deep breath from Éponine.

“I know you think that Enjolras, but.” She stopped, standing up and sitting down closer to him lowering her voice, “you cannot tell me you have never noticed Grantaire’s low self-esteem?”

He looked down, thinking of all the many times Grantaire had said or done something that showed Enjolras how low his opinion was of himself, how angry and upset it had made him that a person as amazing as Grantaire could see himself as anything but brilliant.

“I’ve noticed.” Was all he said.

“Well, how do you think he feels going to a beach, where the social norm is to wear very little clothing? Do you really think he enjoys it?” She asked gently.

“But he’s perfect Éponine.” 

She smiled the indulgent smile of a parent whose child has completely missed the point but come out with something endearing and lovely all the same.

“Yes.” She said. “I know he is perfect. You know he is perfect. And he is an oblivious idiot. Now do you really think he wants to go to the beach?”

“No.” he said quietly.

“No.” She replied and then she stood up and walked out of the bedroom.

When Enjolras left the bedroom Grantaire was still sitting on the couch leaning his head on the back of the couch looking like a man who knew he was about to die and had resigned himself to that fact.

Enjolras sat down next to him taking his hand and kissing it. 

Grantaire turned to face him a completely false smile on his face.

“We’re ready to go then?” He asked.

Enjolras couldn’t help but smile back, at this man, this cynical, disbelieving man, who was willing to go anywhere with a man who surely believed too much, no matter what the cost to himself.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” Was what he said instead of answering him.

Grantaire scowled and pulled away.

“What did she say to you?” He asked.

Enjolras continued to ignore his questions.

“Maybe not conventionally beautiful.” He said. “I know there are people out there who might not see it, but they are idiots. You are an idiot.”

“Thanks Enjolras, this is really helping, let’s just go to the beach, yeah?” He said standing up.

But Enjolras grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the couch with him.

“The thing is Grantaire, sometimes you see someone, and you are just taken away with how beautiful they are, the second you see them you can categorically say that they are gorgeous, but within five minutes of talking to them it’s like their beauty vanished along with whatever wit you thought they might posses.”

“Great,” Grantaire said, “I get another speech on how beauty isn’t only skin deep, that physical appearance isn’t everything.”

“Let me finish. Because sometimes you meet a person, who isn’t bad looking, they’re not beautiful but they’re alright,” he says playing with the hand of Grantaire that he is still holding, "but then you get to know them, and you can just see their personality all over their face, and it just makes them so beautiful.” He paused looking at Grantaire in the eyes.

“You, Grantaire,” he says, “are one of those people. Because when I look at you, I see you. In your hands I see the supple way you can take paint and pencils and create something so brilliant it takes my breath away. In your legs I see a man who despite all his gentleness and kindness, can round house kick a man into unconsciousness.”  
Grantaire chuckled slightly not looking up, trying to hide the way his eyes were starting to fill with water.

“In your crooked smile,” Enjolras continued, “I see the jarring words that challenge me and make me think and better myself. In your height, Big R,” he teased, “I can see a man who is not afraid to poke fun at himself. In your nose I see the strong character of someone who won’t let others take the jokes too far. In the scars on your face I see all the places to place every well-deserved kiss. In the scars on your wrists, I see the fight of a man who has almost given up hope entirely many times, but always come back. In your belly I see the countless bottles of alcohol that you have downed in sadness or in anger or an attempt to forget. In your arms, I see a place where I feel safe, a place where I feel loved and cared for. In your eyes I see love for me, a love I constantly thank anyone with any control over the universe for as well as a mixture of all these things. All these many things that not only make me love you, but that make you the most beautiful man I have ever met.” He finished waiting for Grantaire to say something, anything, to even look at him.

After a while he couldn’t wait anymore, he leaned forward to look at Grantaires face, to see silent tears making their way down his cheeks. Placing a hand on his cheek Enjolras turned Grantaire to face him.

“I love you, Grantaire.” He said trying to stop his own tears, he hated the way Grantaire felt about himself, the way kind words reduced him to tears. They shouldn’t do that, he should be so used to praise that it should roll off his back the way he lets the insult fall to the ground. The fact that he was more practiced at the later than the former made Enjolras blood boil.

“I don’t understand why though?” Grantaire said.

“All the reasons I just said,” Enjolras replied, “and so very much more.”

Grantaire just shook his head, a smile starting to form on his lips as he leaned in to rest his forehead against Enjolras’.

“I still don’t really understand." Enjolras started to open his mouth but before he could say anything Grantaire stopped him.

"But I am glad," he said, "that you love me."

“Well, if you are glad, then so am I.” And Enjolras closed the gap between their lips kissing Grantaire in a way that he hoped conveyed to Grantaire just how much he had meant every word of what he had said.

They didn’t end up going to the beach that day; instead they lay on the floor of their balcony, looking up at the clouds, finding patterns and whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ears, Enjolras stating over and over every single reason he had for loving Grantaire, saying why he was so perfect to him, and Grantaire, slowly, so slowly starting to believe, even if only a little.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this wasn't that good, maybe Enjolras is out of character? Plus it is late and my writing sucks, so if anyone has any constructive criticism at all I would really appreciate it! Thank you so much for reading it by the way, you are awesome.


End file.
